Chiefs side to face Bristol Bears

By Mark Stevens
12/11/21

Ricky Pellow insists there is a real ‘air of excitement’ amongst the group as Exeter Chiefs prepare to kick-off their Premiership Rugby Cup campaign at home to Bristol Bears tomorrow (3pm).

With the Covid-19 pandemic having put the competition on hold last season, the competition returns for the Chiefs with a mouth-watering derby encounter against their nearest and dearest.

For Pellow and his young players, it represents a golden opportunity for them to not only glean some much-needed game minutes but, more importantly, show what they can do in a Chiefs jersey.

“I think we’re all very excited,” said Pellow, who will once again assume the head coach role for the competition. “Coming in on Monday, especially after a tough loss last weekend against Newcastle, you could see the energy and enthusiasm that this group brought. Looking at them, you could see they are very excited about going out on Saturday and playing for the Chiefs.

“For a lot of them, it’s been quite a while since they got to pull on a Chiefs jersey. Some others haven’t even done that, yet they have been out playing at their loans clubs or with the university and doing their best to develop their game. Now, they have a chance this weekend to show all the coaches here what they can offer.”

As has been the case over the years, the Premiership Rugby Cup offers players who are on the periphery of the first team their chance to deliver on the big stage.

“It’s a new group coming in this week, but it’s a real mix of senior guys, guys who are coming back from injury, and those young players just looking to make their mark. For all of them, it’s a chance for them to not only show what they are all about, but it also offers them a great opportunity to put their hands up for selection when the Premiership starts again in a few weeks.

“As I said, having those links with clubs like Plymouth, Pirates, Taunton, as well as the University, it’s a massive tool for us in helping a player and their development. For a lot of them, it’s been tough because there has been no A League or no Prem Cup, so coming back this weekend I think they are all looking forward to what they can offer.”

First up for the Chiefs will be the visit of Pat Lam’s Bristol, a side who Pellow knows will provide tough resistance in what should be a highly competitive qualifying pool.

“Right now we don’t who they will have playing for them, so this week has been more about looking at Bristol’s themes and what they like to do in games,” explained Pellow. “Anyone who watches them regularly knows they have that ‘run first’ mentality and that they like to have that offloading game as well. They’ve also got some pretty big ball-carriers and a decent maul game, which we will need to attack as well.

“However, we can’t worry too much about what they will do, we have to focus more on ourselves and making sure that our fundamentals are in place. If we can get our game up and running, doing things that we know will challenge the opposition, then we’re going to put ourselves in a good place.

“It will be tough, but so it should be. You don’t expect to have easy games at this level, so it’s up to our guys to go out and perform from that very first whistle.”

Scrum-half Sam Maunder will skipper the Chiefs side, which will hand first-ever starts for Oli Burrows, Dafydd Jenkins, Sean O’Brien and Arthur Relton. On the bench, there are also inclusions for Exeter University students Archie Hosking and Josh Barton, as well as young half-back Tom Cairns.